FOOTBALL fans were left gobsmacked after Ipswich winger Wes Burns avoided a second yellow card against Liverpool.

The 29-year-old was booked 24 minutes into the match at Portman Road for a foul on Alexis Mac Allister.

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However, it was just a matter of minutes before he almost received another yellow.

While attempting to tackle Diogo Jota on the wing, Burns tripped and fell.

In a desperate attempt to stop the attack, he put his arm out to flick the ball away with his hand.

The referee awarded Liverpool a free kick, but Burns avoided being sent off despite the deliberate handball.

Fans were left baffled as a result, with one person taking to social media to write: “No idea how Wes Burns hasn’t been sent off hahaha on a yellow, blatant handball. Still on pitch somehow.”

Another commented: “Premier League refs off to a flyer! Ipswich players throwing themselves to the ground every chance they get and the ref is falling for it.”

A third said: “How’s that not a second yellow card?! Ipswich should be down to 10 men and so blatantly.”

While a fourth wrote: “Why didn’t the Ipswich player not get a second yellow for the handball?”

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Liverpool went on to win the match 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Jota and Mohamed Salah.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Salah said: “It was quite tough today to be fair, the weather was really warm.

“It’s a tough team, I’m glad we won today, I’m always happy to make a difference.

“When they play home especially it’s quite tough. The crowd is always up. We knew that before the game, we’re experienced, so we expected a tough game.”

Discussing Liverpool’s changes under Arne Slot, he continued: “It’s quite different. Jurgen was in the team for eight years, he gave everything, now it’s a new manager and new system.

“It’s quite different for all of us, we need to adapt. We just need to know his way of playing and enjoy the football.

“We don’t need to put more pressure on him, we just need to play football and enjoy our games. Let’s see in the end.”

Changes to the Premier League for 2024/25

NOTHING stays the same forever.

And that includes the Premier League, which is making a number of tweaks this season.

Team news will now be released 75 MINUTES before kick-off, 15 minutes earlier than had been the case before.

Things could get crowded on the touchline, with the number of substitutes permitted to warm-up boosted from three players per team to FIVE.

There’s also a change to how added time is calculated when a team scores a goal, an update to the ‘multiball’ system and the introduction of semi-automated offsides – but not straight away.

Go here to read about all the changes to the Premier League for 2024/25.